“Is it un-Australian?”: Schwarz’s big problem with Petracca trade rumours

Melbourne great David Schwarz isn’t pleased with the ongoing Christian Petracca saga.

As things stand, Petracca reportedly wants out of Melbourne this off-season and is pushing for a trade to a big Victorian club, with Collingwood and Carlton said to be his preferences.

Petracca’s issues at Melbourne stem from how he was treated by the club during his time initially recovering from serious internal injuries that he suffered on King’s Birthday against Collingwood including four broken ribs, a lacerated spleen and a punctured lung.

Relationships have also reportedly broken down between Petracca and his teammates, while the midfielder is also said to have issues with the club’s leadership and culture.

Despite those concerns, Schwarz thinks that Petracca needs to work on resolving his issues with the club and urged the 28-year-old to operate in good faith with the club’s powerbrokers.

He feels the mammoth contract Petracca signed in 2021 must have some bearing on the player.

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” Schwarz told SEN The Captain’s Run.

“If you're in good faith negotiating and a contract is given and you sign it, that is the club's commitment and your commitment to follow that through.

“I understand circumstances change – and in some circumstances, it is necessary for that contract to be broken with major family issues or a breakdown in relationships that is just untenable.

“But sometimes you've just go to the good faith that was shown by both parties, and I think this is one of those cases.”

Most disappointingly for Schwarz, he feels that a big part of Petracca’s push to leave the club is due to his brand, as playing for a big Victorian club could increase his off-field earnings and overall exposure.

Schwarz labelled that aspect of the story as ‘un-Australian’ and compared Petracca’s actions to his friend Ben Simmons who has had his struggles during his near decade-long stint in the NBA.

“This is different, and I understand there's trauma involved. But I'm getting a real sense that this is about Christian Petracca and his brand,” Schwarz said.

“Then there'll be other things brought into it, whether it's personalities or a lack of empathy when he was going through his recovery, all those sorts of things.

“But this brand stuff, really, it's new, it's different, is it un-Australian? In a way, it is, because the one thing that I think we've always spoken about is loyalty and loyalty both ways.

“The club have got to pay him whatever it is a week, let's say it's $20,000 a week, so they're loyal to that deal of the contract. But if a player gets a little bit upset they get up and go.

“I was thinking about it last night, and I was thinking that one of his best mates is Ben Simmons. Ben Simmons was all about his brand in the early days, and his brand has been severely tarnished by some of the decisions that he's made.

“I just can see Christian going down that path and I don't think it's great for him, I don't think it's great for the club and I don’t think it’s great for the game.”

Melbourne President Kate Roffey spoke about the Petracca situation with Gerard Whateley on SEN on Thursday where she said that there’s no stand-off between club and player.